Scrapbooking and photographing sweet treats and good eats in and around Toronto, bite by bite

Monthly Archives: March 2014

4 stops, 2 dozen macarons, 1 memorable, wonderfully delicious day. Macaron Day TO 2014 came and went last Thursday and despite the chilly, windy weather it was everything I hoped it would be! Even though I didn’t surpass last year’s total of 5 stops, I truly had so much fun and in addition to raising money for Red Door, that’s the point of Macaron Day: to have fun and to build passion, excitement and awareness for these mouthwatering desserts that we love so much. I hope everyone had a really great time noshing on macarons and being swept up in the excitement because I sure did! I was raring to go early in the morning with my trusty Hello Kitty tin lunch box in tow, waiting in the wings to be filled with luscious macarons throughout the busy day and I’m happy to report that the highly anticipated day didn’t disappoint.

I passed by so many macaron-happy folks out and about with their baggies and boxes and I’m excited to find out if our final total for Red Door this year exceeded the one from last year. I’m hoping – fingers crossed! I had been anticipating this day for so long, not only because I was looking forward to having a ridiculous amount of macarons in my mouth and belly but also because March 20 is my anniversary with my sweetheart. Macaron Day, my anniversary, and International Day of Happiness – it was meant to be.

I switched up my Macaron Day route this year. For the last two years I generally stayed close to Yonge Street, attacking several different patisseries each time with a few repeats thrown in: in 2012 I hit up Patachou, Daniel et Daniel, La Bamboche and Petit Thuet and in 2013 I paid visits to Patisserie La Cigogne, Rahier Patisserie, and Yorkville Espresso Bar with return visits to Petit Thuet and La Bamboche. This year I really wanted to choose either an east or west end area and swing back central so I chose to start out east and I’m so glad I did because I FINALLY made my way to J’Adore Cakes & Co. on the Danforth after all this time!

Located at 3308 Danforth Ave. in the east end of the city near between Warden and Victoria Park, J’Adore Cakes & Co. is a beautiful and sweet cake and dessert boutique and cafe specializing in cake design and all the fresh, homemade sweet treats dreams are of made of: cupcakes, donuts (owner Isabelle was a winner on Food Network’s Donut Showdown!) and macarons! In addition, the shop serves plenty of hot drinks and panini sandwiches for the times when you need some food to round out the sweetness. The sweet-as-pie shop is painted in pastel blue and pink-and-white stripes with bursts of sleek and modern black and white designs adorning their decorated cakes and beautiful framed watercolours of yummy desserts on the walls. It’s a lovely space bursting with beauty and delicious things to eat.

Macarons are $2.25 each with half a dozen coming in at $13 (tax inclusive) and a dozen at $25, also tax inclusive. On Macaron Day, 8 macaron flavours were on deck, ripe for the picking and patrons were allowed to choose any flavour of their choice as their free one so I chose their Flavour of the Month, Apricot Ginger with chocolate drizzle! In addition to my free macaron, I bought a dozen to take home with me (L to R): 2 each of their Yuzu, Blood Orange, Praline Crunch, Earl Grey, Guava, and Apricot Ginger. The only two flavours I didn’t choose were the Pistachio and Peanut and it certainly wasn’t because I didn’t want to! The peanut one sounded delicious, like a peanut butter cookie with creamy peanut butter filling or something and I’m always up for Pistachio but I wanted to try something different so I chose the flavours that were most different to me.

Their macarons are so beautiful and colourful and yes, delicious! They’re about the size of a typical macaron (comparable to an Oreo cookie) and their fillings are mouthwateringly yummy. While I didn’t try all 6 flavours (remember I took these home for my family with the intent of sharing – I had to keep my word and save some for them!) I did try their Yuzu (the bright yellow with black sesame seeds), Guava (the lovely pinky-coral one), and Apricot Ginger with chocolate drizzle and I enjoyed them all. The fillings were light as air and so soft and creamy. If I had to choose a favourite I’d choose Guava simply because it’s extremely true to the fruit and also because it’s very unique. I haven’t come across another guava at any of the other patisseries thus far so it totally gets my vote! I can’t wait to go back to J’Adore Cakes & Co. for more macarons and to try their cupcakes and donuts. An honest-to-goodness sweet tooth like my self wouldn’t do justice if i didn’t!

Macaron Day this year was extremely special. I got to visit a beautiful sweets boutique I had never been to before, I got to try a plethora of new flavours, and I got to enjoy the special day with my sweetheart. And you know what else? This Macaron Day enabled me to share my love and passion for macarons with my grandma on her birthday. 6 of those macarons were for her because I knew I’d be seeing her the next day and I wanted her to try these amazing sweets and to be a part of all the fun I had. Because of Macaron Day, I got to give my grandma her first macaron at the tender age of 81. And she loved it.

*****

J’Adore Cakes & Co. is located at 3308 Danforth Ave. between Warden Ave. and Pharmacy Ave. (west of Robinson Ave.), walking distance from Victoria Park subway station in the east end of Toronto. They are open 5 days a week from Tuesday to Saturday (10am-6pm Tuesday-Friday and 10am-5pm Saturday). They are closed on Mondays and only open on Sundays for consultations and appointments. You can visit their official website at http://www.jadorecakesco.com/, ‘Like’ them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter @jadorecakesco

Anyone who knows me well knows I’m a sucker for all holidays and celebratory occasions. And I mean all. Not just the “big” ones like Valentine’s, Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving but also maple syrup season (which just happens to be going on right now!), cherry blossom season, harvest and apple season and let’s not forget, St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow! Ever since I started Ate by Ate, I’ve had my heart set on doing themed posts for all of them but given time constraints and bad weather, sometimes it feels almost impossible to do posts for everything. So I decided to change my approach. Instead of waiting until the last minute to get photos and stories, I would just do them early, if I could. Does it mean I might miss out on being right in the thick of the moment? Sure. But I would rather have something to show for it than nothing at all. I’m always so disappointed when I don’t get to celebrate on the blog because I waited until the week or weekend of and things just happen to fall through.

So this time around, I had my Irish food for St. Patrick’s Day early. Very early. In fact, I had my incredibly delicious St. Patrick’s Day meal over a month ago! And it’s here and hot off the press. Well, the photos and story anyway, not the food. True, I wasn’t surrounded by happy partygoers clad in green apparel but the nice thing about this is that going to an Irish pub and restaurant means that we can kind of celebrate life with Irish food whenever we want. And I just happened to celebrate over a month early at P.J. O’Brien in downtown Toronto.

I remember the day so well. It was one of the coldest, dreariest, grayest days this winter but for whatever reason, the bite in the air eased up a little bit right around lunch hour when I hurriedly scurried out onto Colborne St. just southwest of King and Church to take photos outside. The building that P.J. O’Brien resides in would brighten even the darkest, gloomiest of days. It has to be one of my favourite buildings in the city. Nestled between the towering structures in the financial district and the historic ones of old town Toronto sits a three-storey building as bright and cheerful and charming as a Lego house. Equipped with bright blue window shutters and painted sunny golden yellow, P.J. O’Brien is a beacon of culinary happiness.

Their dining room and bar areas are simultaneously cozy and spacious with plenty of space for large groups and intimate get-togethers. I love the tables by the front windows. Perfect for taking in the large dining room and bar around you and for taking photos with natural light! Open 6 days a week from Monday to Saturday from 11am to the wee hours of the morning (1am from Monday to Friday and 2am on Saturday), P.J. O’Brien delivers a mix of comfort food, pub fare and Irish classics with flair including Kilkenny Ale fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, beef and Guinness stew, sausage and chips, and my pick: corned beef and cabbage!

I had the hardest time choosing between the beef and Guinness stew, sausage and chips, and the corned beef and cabbage. All of them sounded delicious, all of them screamed warmth and comfort and Irish goodness but with only one stomach, I could only choose one. Sigh. So after much deliberation, I chose the corned beef and cabbage ($15): a wedge of freshly steamed cabbage alongside two giant scoops of creamy mashed potatoes with sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley and three moist and juicy pieces of corned beef smothered in rich brown gravy sauce, with an extra side of tartar sauce that I specifically ordered to go with my meal because I am a crazy nut for tartar sauce! This meal is everything comfort food should be and really, the closest I’ve ever been to Ireland’s food in my life. It was piping hot and SO. INCREDIBLY. DELICIOUS.

I loved it so much not only because it scrumptious but because it’s something I don’t have all the time. Or ever, really. I eat mashed potatoes and deli corned beef (or breakfast hash) and the occasional bite of cabbage, but never all together and certainly never in such a yummy capacity. The mashed potatoes were fluffy and airy (not gluey!), the cabbage was tender yet crisp (and without the strong tang of bitterness that usually makes me shy away from cabbage) and the corned beef was melt-in-your-mouth soft. It wasn’t difficult to bite into or cut through at all and its savouriness was perfect; not too salty but far from bland. Even without the sauce I would have loved it and I really appreciated the thickness of it (imagine the thickness of luncheon meat slices. Or just look at the photos) and having it in three pieces as opposed to one giant overwhelming slab. It made it easier to eat and made for a lovely presentation.

And if you can believe it, it gets better. My meal came with a basket of bread and butter and by golly that bread and butter was some of the best bread and butter I’ve ever had. I know. It’s only bread and butter. But think about it, even something as simple as bread and butter can go horribly awry (or rye…haha). The bread can be too hard or too dry and the butter can be too difficult to spread. But theirs was so good I was tempted to eat the entire thing all by myself in one sitting but I had enough sense just to eat a few pieces and save the rest for my doggy bag along with a piece of corned beef and some cabbage.

I’m a hungry girl but I’m not known for being the queen of the doggy bag (or tupperware) for nothing.

I’m so happy I got to enjoy my ‘St. Patrick’s Day’ meal when I did and I hope that if you’re in around the downtown core tomorrow that you’ll stop by P.J. O’Brien for a bite to celebrate the great food and actual festivities. You’ll be glad you did.

*****

P.J. O’Brien is an Irish pub and restaurant located in downtown Toronto at 39 Colborne St., just south of King Street East and just west of Church St. They are open Monday through Saturday from 11am – 1am (2am on Saturday). Visit their official website at http://pjobrien.com/

Just as the title says: only 1 more week until we celebrate the 3rd annual Macaron Day TO on March 20th! I’m happily volunteering again this year as a Macaron Day TO ambassador and I already have my macaron map figured out. If you’ve never participated in the delicious occasion before, you must! Not only is it super fun carrying around a bundle of macarons in your arms (or purse or tote bag or in my case in the last two years, a picnic basket and Hello Kitty tin lunch box!), it’s also for a bigger and more important cause.

Macaron Day, in essence, is a day to support local charities in addition to enjoying delicious macarons and trying numerous wacky flavours made just for the occasion. Many cities take part including Paris, New York and Toronto and each city chooses a local charity to raise money for. For the last two years, Macaron Day TO has been donating 25% of all Macaron Day sales on March 20th to the Red Door Family Shelter, an organization that aids in providing care and social, legal and financial assistance to the homeless, low-income families and abused women and children just to name a handful.

On March 20th, participating patisseries, bakeries and cafes all across the city will be baking up a storm in support of this cause. Here’s how it works: show up at a participating Macaron Day TO location, tell folks at said location that you’re celebrating Macaron Day and receive a FREE macaron! (One free macaron per customer). And of course, 25% of the proceeds of any and all macaron purchases you make on the day will go to benefit Red Door. Obviously, Macaron Day wouldn’t be a success without the enthusiasm and support from everyone who comes out for it, so if you can, visit your favourite participant or make a day out of like me! Get out early though as each participating location will have a limited number of free macarons to give out.

I’ve had a lot of fun strategizing and mapping out my macaron munching routes the last two years and this year will be no different. I’ve generally followed a north-south plan, hitting up about 4 to 6 spots each year: La Bamboche, Petit Thuet x 2, Patachou, Rahier Patisserie, Patisserie La Cigogne, Yorkville Espresso Bar, and Daniel et Daniel. I’m going about my route a little differently this year so you’ll see lots of photos from places I haven’t hit on Macaron Day yet! I’m excited and I hope that all of you will get the chance to come out, have fun, eat macarons, and benefit Red Door.

*UPDATE: March 12: The winner for Ate by Ate’s tea giveaway has been chosen! There were 14 unique entries/comments in total (the pingback from Food Bloggers of Canada that shows up in the comment feed doesn’t count so I skipped over that one when I counted the entries to determine the winner) and thanks to the nifty random generator which churned out the number 9, I get to congratulate:

Asiya from Chocolate & Chillies as Ate by Ate’s FIRST giveaway winner! YAY! You will receive the grand prize of the big and lovely tea prize pack that I will lovingly put together for you!

Oh, but that’s not all. I thought, “hmm, I like to share and this IS the first giveaway on the blog…better make it splashy”. So I decided to churn out 3 more random numbers from the generator. These 3 runner-up winners will receive a small prize pack of tea from me! So oodles of congratulations to the following entries that were chosen!

Entry #7: Madeline

Entry #2: xiaoEats

Entry #3: Rebecca

I will be contacting all 4 of you tomorrow night for addresses or drop-off/pick-up info if you live around the city. Thank you SO much to all of you who read the post and participated; I means a lot to me that you all enjoy the blog enough to want to be a part of it so THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Hopefully I’ll have another one of these for you all later on this year!

*UPDATE March 12: Contest is now closed – thank you to all of you who participated! Winner will be announced later on TONIGHT!*

March 4: Happy first week of March, everyone! February flew by (as it always does) and now I feel like I have my nose in the sand with everything that’s going on this month: St. Patty’s Day, Macaron Day TO (follow on Twitter @MacaronTO, #MacaronDayTO and like the Facebook page if you get the chance!), March break, maple syrup festivals, and all the spring goodies and eats that are busting out, not to mention all the cookie baking experiments I plan on undertaking. I’ve been baking cookies for my neighbour’s kids, I already have Ate by Ate’s St. Patty’s Day post lined up ready to go, I’m mapping out my macaron route for the big day (March 20 – mark your calendars if you haven’t already!) and I’m giddy with anticipation over afternoon tea plans next week. At times it’s a little overwhelming and tiring (and heartbreaking – I just found out the other day that I’m way too late to buy tickets for the Spadina Museum’s wildly popular Downton Abbey tea. I’m so sad), but deep down it’s fun and life would be pretty boring without the craziness that surrounds food.

The first official day of spring is only a few weeks away (on Macaron Day, actually) but you really wouldn’t know it judging by all the snow we got today. I admit, it wasn’t a ridiculous amount. But it was still enough to warrant the use of the snow blower and right now all I can think of is how I was lounging on a picnic blanket on Macaron Day 2 years ago stuffing myself with sushi and a picnic basket full of macarons.

That is totally not happening this year. I’ll be lucky if I don’t have to leave the house in three layers of clothes, much less sit on a picnic blanket.

Sigh.

So that’s where Ate by Ate’s special giveaway comes in. Yes, GIVEAWAY! I think we could all use a spring in our step right now (pun intended) so I’m hosting a special tea giveaway for all of Ate by Ate’s readers! My collection has grown like crazy over the past year and I’ve been fortunate enough to try so many different types and brands and I want to share that with all of you! The giveaway will be for a goodie box chock full of tea: loose leaf, sachets, and tea bags in a plethora of flavours from brands such as Tea Forte, 4 O’Clock, Harney & Sons, David’s Tea, and Twinings just to name a handful! Everything will be packaged up in a decorated box and sent to the lucky winner by mail (if the winner lives in Toronto, even better, we can meet up and do a drop-off/pick-up!).

HERE’S HOW TO ENTER (TWO PARTS):

“Like” Ate by Ate’s Facebook page or follow Ate by Ate on Twitter @AtebyAte. Share this post via Facebook (head to Ate by Ate Facebook page, it will be stickied at the top of the timeline) or retweet this post via Twitter.

Leave a comment on this post with your name and e-mail address (so that I can contact you should you win), telling me what your favourite tea is – I love recommendations!

The winner will be chosen one week from today on March 11, 2014 8pm EST by a random number generator (if the generator spits out the number 8 and your comment is the 8th one on the list, you win!). One entry per person (duplicate entries will be deleted) and both parts must be fulfilled in order for the entry to count. This giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.